1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed in Petitioner's earlier application Ser. No. 10/736,962 filed Dec. 17, 2003, relates to a dosing and/or dispensing system. The invention disclosed in Petitioner's earlier application Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003, relates to a dispensing system, which may be either an open loop or closed loop dispensing system, and more particularly to a dispensing system for dispensing corrosive liquid chemicals or dangerous medical liquid products which are typically drawn from the upper end of a container, such as a bottle or the like, to a mixing machine or the like. In that invention, the container is inverted with the liquid product gravity flowing from the lower end thereof. Further, the dispensing system of that invention provides a means for venting the container during shipment or storage in those situations where the liquid within the container requires venting. In the dosing and/or dispensing system of application Ser. No. 10/736,962 filed Dec. 17, 2003, three dosing and/or dispensing embodiments are disclosed which are ideally suited for use with portions of the invention of Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003. In application Ser. No. 10/777,916 filed Feb. 12, 2004, other dosing and/or dispensing embodiments are disclosed which are ideally suited for use with portions of the invention of Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003. In the instant invention, a modified version of the dosing and/or dispensing system is described.
2. Description of the Related Art
Corrosive liquid chemicals and dangerous medical liquid products are typically contained in a container such as a bottle or the like and are frequently dispensed therefrom to a mixing machine. Normally, a cap is placed on the bottle with a dip tube extending therefrom downwardly into the interior of the bottle for drawing the liquid upwardly thereinto. Normally, a dispensing tube extends from the cap to a mixing machine or some other piece of equipment which creates suction in the dispensing tube to draw the liquid from the interior of the bottle. In some prior art devices, when the suction or vacuum is removed from the dispensing tube, backflow may occur. Further, when the cap is removed from the bottle, backflow from the dispensing tube may also occur. Additionally, when the cap is removed from the bottle, liquid residue in the bottle may spill therefrom. Additionally, the conventional prior art systems normally do not prevent the re-use of the bottle which is prohibited in some cases. Yet another disadvantage of the prior art is that a reliable and efficient venting means for the bottle is not normally provided for relieving vacuum pressure from within the bottle. The system of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375 solved the problems associated with the prior art devices or systems.
While the system of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375 works extremely well when the container is in its normal upright condition, the system may not perfectly function when the container of the co-pending application is inverted. When the container or bottle of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375 is inverted, the liquid in the container is drawn or discharged from the normal upper end of the container but which is the lower end of the container in the inverted position. In such a position, the venting membrane, which would normally permit ambient air to replace the liquid in the container as the liquid is discharged from the container, may become “clogged” due to the liquid coming into contact therewith and crystallizing thereon. If air is not permitted to enter the container as the liquid is drawn therefrom, a partial vacuum is created in the upper end of the inverted container which will interfere with the discharge of the liquid therefrom.
The system of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375 solved the problems of the prior art and represented an improvement in the invention of co-pending application Ser. No. 10/074,469. The invention of application Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003, represents an improvement over the invention described in co-pending application Ser. No. 10/372,375. The invention disclosed in application Ser. No. 10/736,962 filed Dec. 17, 2003, represented an improvement over the invention disclosed in the co-pending application Ser. No. 10/685,549 filed Oct. 14, 2003.
The system of application Ser. No. 10/777,916 discloses other embodiments of the dosing and/or dispensing system of the application Ser. No. 10/736,962 filed Dec. 17, 2003. The instant invention does not require an insert for the container.